A 2009 contract guarantees Corrections Corporation of America will be paid for 90 percent capacity in the women's section of its Metro Detention Facility.

Written by

Brian Haas
| The Tennessean

Taxpayers paid nearly a half-million dollars over the past two years for empty beds at Metro's private prison.

A 2009 contract between Metro Government and Corrections Corporation of America guarantees that the private prison company will be paid for 90-percent capacity in the women's section of its Metro Detention Facility. But records show that the private-run prison has rarely been that full, putting taxpayers on the hook for $487,917.27 worth of empty beds since 2011, when it first began booking female prisoners. Such quota systems are commonplace across the nation but prompt ...